Gender-role orientation and body image in women and men: The moderating influence of neuroticism

This study examined the effects of gender-role orientation on aspects of body image satisfaction in a group of primarily Caucasian young women and men. It also examined whether neuroticism—a broad, higher-order dimension of personality—functioned additively or interactively with gender-role orientation in the prediction of body image. Similar to previous research, masculinity was related to positive body image in women. For men, results were in the opposite direction. Femininity, and not masculinity, was related to body satisfaction. Of particular interest were the findings that neuroticism interacted both with masculinity in women and femininity in men in predicting positive ratings of attractiveness. In both cases, the positive relationship between gender-role orientation and attractiveness only existed at low levels of neuroticism. As neuroticism increased, the relationship diminished; there was no relationship at all at high levels of neuroticism. Results are discussed in terms of the differential significance of gender-role orientation for body esteem in women and men, and with respect to the moderating influence of personality factors.     

Short term family therapy following parental loss: A case report

Summary The main therapeutic task was to help the family gradually finish the natural mourning process that was initially impeded by their denial. Negative memories of father, as well as the favorable ones, were brought to light, the expected punishment for the verbalization of these feelings was not fulfilled, and the family had a second chance to work through the mourning process in an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding, and support.The author wishes to express appreciation to Daniel Offer, M.D., and Andrea H. Lazarus, M.S., for their assistance.     

Romance,Sexual Attraction,and Women’s Political Ambition: Initial Findings from Two Experiments

This study develops and begins to test the hypothesis that considerations of romance and sexual attractiveness may impede women’s expression of political ambition (in the sense of either interest in holding public office or willingness to disclose such interest). As this is a very new area of research, and as the subject is difficult to test, this study does not draw firm conclusions, but the initial data results suggest at least some support for the hypothesis. It does seem from these two experiments that politics makes one less popular as a date or mate choice, and that women who hypothetically hold office would be less likely to reveal that fact to a potential sexual or romantic partner. Further research is needed to both develop the measurements for this exciting new area of study and confirm these initial results.     

‘Defending the family,’ safeguarding the nation: an examination of evangelical mobilisation in present-day Barbados

This article addresses the connection between religion, culture and the family through a critical examination of evangelical Christians’ focus on ‘the family’ in Barbados, in 2015 and 2016. The intentions are to highlight Evangelical Christians’ strategic deployment of a common rhetoric or frame of ‘defending the family,’ which was put forward in public discourses relating to sex, sexuality, marriage and the family. This rhetoric draws upon and reproduces deep-seated anxieties around the state of the family as well as its connection to ideas of progress, freedoms, national sovereignty and the establishment of strong nations. The article also sheds sociological light on Evangelical mobilisations by exploring the socio-cultural context in which they are occurring. The presented analysis is based on a critical feminist discourse analysis of relevant local and regional newspaper articles, blogs and websites, observational research as well as a review of secondary qualitative and quantitative data and pre-existing scholarly literature.